Tag Archives: Joe Strummer

Mondo Instante 23 “Yo te quiero, (mundo) infinito” (part 2) – Strummer Tribute Group Exhibition

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Hopefully you saw the exhibition of photos from part 1 of the MI23 live event. If not, you can see/read all about it here.

Part 2 of this experimental version of MI held a lot of meaning for many of Mental Beans’ readers, including myself, as many of us have met through a common passion and love for Joe Strummer and the Clash. On the MI23 event page I wrote to introduce the Strummer Tribute theme for part 2 of the event:

“A very special theme for some of us… December 22 marks 10 years since the world lost Joe Strummer, and I’d like to be able to post up a gallery of photos that pays homage the incredible life force that he was, and still is. However you interpret it, take a photo and then please share a few words about what Joe Strummer means to you. There are a lot of tribute events going on around the world, and I cannot make it to any of them…so this is my way of taking part. I know there are a lot of Strummer fans amongst us to make this a really great tribute.”

What followed was many amazing images and words from our friends around the world, posted live on the event page during the 24-hour period of December 22, 2012. It made me smile to see everyone’s contributions, despite the gravity and sadness that tinges that day. I still remember well where I was when I learned the news, and I know I’m not the only one, so it was nice to turn this feeling of loss into something positive. This event, of course was only one tiny event amongst so many other events that took place all over the world, many of which you can read all about via the Strummerville website, as well a via the posts on The Clash Blog, where events were being tracked as well, but it still felt good to do this.

Thanks to Ann B in Stockholm, Sweden; Yossi in Tel Aviv, Israel; Betsy in NYC; Gina and Robert in Minneapolis; Lennart in Gothenburg, Sweden; Grebo of Belgrade, Serbia (by way of Italy) all with their thoughtful images and words in memory; Brenda in Vermont (via Philadelphia PA), who spent 2 years time with Joe and the Clash in the USA and Europe, graciously shared some of  her memories and occasions (thank you again Brenda, it was truly and deeply appreciated); Noona in Glasgow, Scotland with her hilarious story of misheard Clash lyrics; Jess in NY with a very special treasure from her time spent in the pit at one of the famous Clash Bond’s Casino shows in NYC; Joanne in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Silvia in Rimini, Italy and Sean in Norwich, England with their words of friendships and connections;  Maribel in Cataluna, Spain with a shared video in memory; Raffaele in Roma, Italy (and also Silvia) with their original artwork; Robin in Bellview, IL through her writing; Wendy, in keeping with her deep interest in environmentalism (which we can trace our original meeting to!) with words about Rebel’s Wood, and myself with the story of my nearly-lost Strummerville pin, both of us here in Cleveland, OH. I love that these images and words came from a smattering of locations around the world with different perspectives and tales. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and memories here.

Hover over the images for a pop up caption, and click the photos to be taken to a full screen slideshow to view the full stories with the photos.

posted by Raffaele, Roma, Italy
“I did this a few days after their live show in Rome, when I was sixteen. Joe totally changed my life and my head. Thank you forever Joe!” – Raffaele Roma, Italy
posted by Raffaele, Roma, Italy
“One day, in Dec. of 99, I saw Joe again after about 10 years. I brought my old sketch book, and some things of his (to return to him ) that I had kept safe. It was a great Mescaleros show and reunion for me. My friend, Joanne Henry had come for the show (in pic) , my friend Justin Greeley was mixing monitors, and my friend Meta showed up in time to snap this picture. Joe had re found his muse with the Mescaleros, he was driven on stage , dedicated to his fans, and took delight in talking to them, and was more relaxed off stage than I had ever seen him.” – Brenda Vermont/Philadelphia PA USA
From Brenda’s sketchbook: “Mikey Dread and Mystery Dancers, (Johnny Green, Kris Needs , Kosmo Vinyl, Joe Strummer , Donald. ) 16 Tons Tour , UK Feb. 1980. Mikey would do Rocker’s delight to a backing track, that audience didn’t get it so the crombie, trilby and bandana skankers became a ‘thing’ on that song. I even did it one night at Santa Monica Civic in LA. There was an original drawing done on stage, it was just a quick sketch, they put in the Armegideon Times #2. Then I used the sketch (and a few more night’s sketches) and made this, ( the templet), and that was the one Kris Needs used in a Zig Zag magazine.” – Brenda Vermont/Philadelphia, PA USA
“Things that may look familiar” – Brenda Vermont/Philadelphia, PA USA
“You never forget the day you heard The Clash for the first time.” – Ann Stockholm, Sweden
“Remembering the legend, the man. Rip” – Betsy New York City, NY USA
“Strummer? OK, I cannot think of the Clash without smiling and remembering the following story… The pic below is photo of an old photograph of what was known as the Manly Gas Ball…a gasometer close by to my old high school in the Sydney beach suburb of Manly. {camouflaged as a giant golf ball to ‘blend in’ with the neighbouring golf course!?} We were walking past it one time in the 80′s and my friend Michelle Rowan said ‘Every time I see that thing it reminds me of the Clash song’… Us group of girlfriends all looked at each other puzzled and said, ‘HUH? What song??’ ..and Michelle said , ‘Oh you know, Fuck the Gas Ball?’ She thought Rock The Casbah’s lyrics were ‘Fuck the Gas Ball’ hahaha…and to this day, I still sing the alternative lyrics!” – Noona Glasgow, Scotland
“Joe Strummer was instrumental in establishing Future Forests for a Carbon Neutral World, a company that plants trees to offset carbon emissions. Forests help soak up carbon from the atmosphere. So, plant a tree and honor Joe.” – Wendy Cleveland, OH USA
“Joe Strummer, the fire still burns…..” – Gina Minneapolis, MN USA
“I was at the Bond’s matinee (NYC 1981) and it was sardine packed and hot as hell up front. Joe saw my sweaty face and tossed his cup of water to me. I never actually got to drink from it. The people around me descended on it like piranhas, shredding it, and this all I have left from it.” – Jess NY USA
“For Mr. Strummer.” – Grebo Belgrade, Serbia (posted from Italy)
“For Mr. Strummer.” – Grebo Belgrade, Serbia (posted from Italy)
“As I never unfortunately got to see Joe Strummer play live, I’ve just had to instead enjoy the times & memories some of you lived through in these dvd’s. Not much I suppose, but enough for me to see how special he was both on stage and off. And for us today, I’m really delighted that through our mutual respect for him some of us here have became very close friends, and for that I’ll always be grateful ….. Viva Joe xxx” – Joanne Belfast, Northern Ireland
“For me Joe Strummer is synonymous with The Clash who I first heard when I visited England in 1977, their music absolutely floored me and still do, maybe it’s so simple that it’s all about genuine quality?! Anyway, here’s my collection of their orginal albums in mini replica LP CDs” – Lennart Gothenberg, Sweden
“Spending the past year writing about Woody Guthrie, it’s been impossible to miss Joe Strummer’s continuing power and influence. So I had to use words in my photo tribute.” – Robin Bellview, IL USA
“Here’s mine. This little pin (badge) has been with me for several years now. It embodies all of my feelings and is a physical symbol representing all of the friendships I’ve made directly and indirectly through a shared love of Joe Strummer. It’s also the image of Joe from the cover of his Earthquake Weather album, which I bought on cassette the day it came out. I was 18 and it changed my world. Ironically, I lost this pin one night when it fell off my jacket onto the stage at a show where Mick Jones and Paul Simonon were sharing (Gorillaz Letterman webcast, where about 40 of us were pulled out of the audience to sing and dance to Clint Eastwood). After the show everyone was scrambling for souvenirs and set lists and I saw a pin sitting face down on the stage. I immediately knew it was mine. Security brushed me off at first but there was no way I was going to lose that thing. Eventually amongst the chaos he listened to me and I got it back. It’s a cherished little pin that is layered in meaning for me.” – Shan Cleveland, OH USA
“..i did this drawing when i was a teen,and i posted this photo on the Strummerville page 3 years ago (circa)… and i was happy to see that some people liked it… some of these people where Shan ,Raffaele ,and Mecha … and that’s how i met you guys!..so it’s very precious to me . Thank you so much Joe ,for this reason and for changing my life and making me a better person.” – Silvia Rimini, Italy
“Lucky joe t shirt” – Yossi Tel Aviv, Israel
“Joe’s Wilderness” – Robert, Minneapolis, MN USA
Sean Norwich, England I received 8 of these pendants 1 for each of the StrummerofLove crew from Norwich. Kindly made and sent to us by Juliet Van Ree from Holland whos friendship we made at SOL Festival. Just goes to show that the love and friendship of Joe Strummer is alive and well !!!

Finally, Maribel in Catalonia, Spain posted this as her tribute in Joe’s memory:

And the Mondo Instante project moves on into 2013! Watch this site and the Mental Beans Facebook page for forthcoming details for the next MI event, which will again take place live!

Joe Strummer – remembered around the world (Trash City Radio Show and more)

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strummer2012

Trash City Radio Show

Archives | Joe Strummer tribute shows from 2012, 2010 and 2009

On Tuesday of this week Joe Rebel presented his annual tribute show in memory of the late great Joe Strummer. It was a pretty special thing to be able to tune in live with friends all around the globe, and we gathered together in a remembrance set to the backdrop of a two hour journey through his musical legacy. This show, along with two other Strummer tributes from 2009 and 2010 is available for you to listen here and you can scroll below to access the links.

Strummer, who remains a powerful uniting force, continues 10 years on to bring like-minded folk near and far—people who would otherwise never know of one another—together. Around the world many memorial events are being held in remembrance of the day the world woefully and tragically lost one of its heroes on December 22, 2002.

For me on a personal level, when Joe was alive, the world felt brighter. I miss that feeling of knowing in the back of my mind that he is kicking around somewhere out there in the world, that feeling of excitedly waiting for more of his music to emerge. I’ve written more extensively about my thoughts in year’s past on this blog, but very simply put, his presence on the earth always made it feel like everything was going to be alright. One way of paying tribute to him this year is for me to be able to share some space on this site to make available 6 hours of the music of Joe Strummer thanks to the tireless and devoted efforts of Joe Rebel, who puts his heart and soul into Trash City Radio Show. Joe very recently posted this to his listeners via his page for the show:

“When I was younger and discovered The Clash, it became over time like being possesed by a good spirit. The power of the music, lyrics and live shows was unsurpassable. I followed Joe through all the post Clash ups and downs too. I even got involved in brawls defending Joe from the ignorant and blind. It’s been 10 years since Joe died, and as people rush around with the expectation of Christmas, My thoughts are of Joe and how he touched my life and continues to do so. Trash City wouldn’t exsist without Joe and I would probably be singing a different tune. Joe Strummer RIP” – Joe Rebel

So if you, like me, will be raising a glass, lighting a candle, or spending a moment in thought on Saturday, here’s one more way to spend the day, by listening. Contained within these three two-hour shows (2009, 2010 and 2012) are live tracks, alternate versions and other rarities reaching back from Strummer’s days with the 101′ers, with The Clash, Latino Rockabilly War, soundtracks to movies (Sid and Nancy, Permanent Record, Walker among others), solo work, and with The Mescaleros, all the way through the moment he reunited with Mick Jones in December of 2002, all hand-selected with care. If you missed this week’s show or the previous year’s tribute shows when they went out live, this is for you. Thank you again, Joe Rebel for making all of this possible.

Archive | Trash City Radio Show Joe Strummer Tribute 18 Dec 2012

Running order:
PASSPORT TO DETROIT / JOE STRUMMER
THE MAGNIFICENT 7 / CLASH (LIVE, US FESTIVAL ’83)
BRAND NEW CADILLAC / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS (LIVE FUJI ROCK, ’99)
CORNER SOUL / CLASH
GET DOWN MOSES / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS
POLICE AND THIEVES / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS (LIVE, JAPAN, 2001)
YALLA YALLA / JOE STRUMMER AND RICHARD NORRIS (ORGINAL VERSION)
JULIE’S BEEN WORKING FOR THE DRUG SQUAD / CLASH
WHITE MAN IN HAMMERSMITH PALAIS / CLASH (LIVE, AMSTERDAM ’81)
SHAKTAR DONESTK / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS (DEMO)
THIS IS ENGLAND / CLASH
X-RAY STYLE / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS (LIVE, US. 99)
KOKA KOLA / CLASH
I FOUGHT THE LAW / CLASH (LIVE, SHEA, ’82)
OVER THE BORDER / JIMMY CLIFF AND JOE STRUMMER
SAFE EUROPEAN HOME (REMIX/RADIO EDIT) / CLASH
THE HARDER THEY COME / JOE STRUMMER, TIPPER IRIE AND THE LONG BEACH DUB ALL-STARS
BURNING STREETS / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS
LONDON’S BURNING / CLASH (LIVE, OHIO, ’79)
BURNING LIGHTS / JOE STRUMMER
COMPLETE CONTROL / CLASH
COMA GIRL / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS
CLASH CITY ROCKERS / CLASH (LIVE, TOKYO ’82)
SWEET REVENGE / 101ERS
REDEMPTION SONG / JOHNNY CASH AND JOE STRUMMER
SLEEPWALK / JOE STRUMMER
FOLK RIOT . JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS (LIVE, DOCKLANDS 2000)
WILLESDEN TO CRICKLEWOOD / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS
46664 / MICK JONES (last song Joe Strummer wrote)

Archive |Trash City Radio Show Joe Strummer Tribute 21 Dec 2010

Archive | Trash City Radio Show Joe Strummer Tribute 22 Dec 2009

The Clash Blog

Elsewhere Tim Merrick, friend and blogging comrade of several years, will be posting his always thoughtful thoughts as well as a comprehensive list of other Strummer memorial events that are be taking place around the world. Please take a moment to see what he’s got going on over on his The Clash Blog, which just hit the 1,000 post mark. Thank you Tim for your tireless devotion and your way with words!

Mental Beans Joe Strummer tribute MI photo event

On the local front, Mental Beans will be holding a special Mondo Instante event, MI23: Yo te querio, (mondo) infinito, on Saturday. It’s an all day event. It is my plan to post up a gallery of photos that pays homage the incredible life force that Joe Strummer was, and still is. However you interpret it, take a photo and then please share a few words about what Joe Strummer means to you. For this event please post photos directly on the MI23 Event page on Facebook for immediate viewing! I will then collect the photos in the following days and post them all together on the Mental Beans blog. If you cannot post directly to facebook, you can email them to mentalbeans (at) tuliptreestudios (dot) com within 3 days and they will be included here. Please check the Mental Beans Facebook page for further details.

Joe Strummer: August 21, 1952 – December 22, 2012

Trash City Radio Show – Joe Strummer 60th Birthday Celebration

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“Without people, you’re nothing.”
- Joe Strummer

It always feels better to celebrate the birth date of the late, great Joe Strummer than experience the date of his passing. He is so desperately missed by everyone he touched. We are all inspired by him—a fierce personality who’s powerful voice stood against injustice and stood for all that is good in human nature—and one of his greatest gifts (all musical genius output aside) is his never ending ability to connect people around the globe to one another. People are still connecting either directly or indirectly because of him, especially now in the heyday of social media, every single day.

One such place that helps perpetuate this connectivity is via the music hub that is Trash City Radio Show. This week, hosts Joe Rebel and Martin Stork manned the controls and presented two hours of Trash City listener’s picks in honor of what would have been Joe Strummer’s 60th Birthday. If you missed today’s show, abuzz with activity from the Trash City Mafia once again, here is the archive of that show, as well as two past birthday tributes, one from last year, and the other from 2010. We celebrate the man here:

Archive: Trash City Radio Show Joe Strummer 2012 Birthday Tribute

Running order:
SAFE EUROPEAN HOME / CLASH
JOHNNY APPLESEED / JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS
SPANISH BOMBS / CLASH
COMA GIRL / JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS
THIS IS ENGLAND / CLASH
ISLAND HOPPING / JOE STRUMMER
BROADWAY / CLASH
KEYS TO YOUR HEART / 101ERS
WHITE MAN IN HAMMERSMITH PALAIS / CLASH

The Computers cover “Lost In the Supermarket” in the Phonic.fm studio for Trash City Radio Show (photo by Martin Stork)

LOST IN THE SUPERMARKET (EXCLUSIVE LIVE ‘UNPLUGGED’)  THE COMPUTERS
COMPLETE CONTROL, CITY OF THE DEAD / CLASH
FORBIDDEN CITY / JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS
BANKROBBER / CLASH
DUM DUM CLUB / JOE STRUMMER
LONDON’S BURNING, CLAMPDOWN / CLASH
YALLA YALLA / JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS
STRAIGHT TO HELL (UNEDITED VERSION) / CLASH
REDEMPTION SONG / JOE STRUMMER
1977 / CLASH
I FOUGHT THE LAW (LIVE) / JOE STRUMMER & THE POGUES
X-RAY STYLE / JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS
JANIE JONES, THE MAGNIFICENT 7 / CLASH
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS (LIVE) / CLASH
NITCOMB / JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS

Archive: Trash City Radio Show Joe Strummer 2011 Birthday Tribute

Archive: Trash City Radio Show Joe Strummer 2010 Birthday Tribute

Trash City Radio Show airs every Tuesday at 6pm local time in Exeter, England (1pm EST) via phonic.fm where you can listen online and via various other mobile devices.